Hair iron

ABSTRACT

A hair iron H in which a hair pinching region is formed between a heating surface  10  of a wrapping cylinder  1  and a presser inner surface  40  of a presser plate  4 , wherein an elastic member  6  is mounted on the heating surface of the wrapping cylinder on the outer part of the hair pinching region, and at a position near the side edge of the aforementioned presser plate, the elastic member is mounted so as to extend in the long direction of the wrapping cylinder along the side edge of the presser plate in the state where its upper surface is equal with or slightly protruding from the heating surface. Also, the aforementioned elastic member  6  contains a multi-element mineral powder formed by crushing a multi-element mineral.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present idea relates to a hair iron provided as an industrialproduct for barber shops and beauty salons and as a commercial productfor home use, which is used particularly when imparting curls or wavesto hair.

Hair irons impart curls or waves to hair by the user turning a grip partand wrapping hair around a heating surface in the state where hair ispinched between a heating surface of a wrapping cylinder and a presserinner surface of a presser plate. See Japanese Patent Application No.2007-260059.

In the past, a hair iron which has a pair of pressure members which openand close in opposing directions, wherein an elastic member is mountedon one of the pressure members in a state where its top surfaceprotrudes from the top surface of the hair pinching surface, wasproposed. See Japanese Patent No. 4152974.

When an elastic member is mounted on the top surface of the hairpinching surface (inside the hair pinching region) in this way, it is aneffective technique because hair can be pinched without gaps due to theelasticity of the elastic member, and there is the advantage that damageto hair can be limited by direct heating by the pressure members.

In a hair iron having a wrapping cylinder and a presser plate, whichimparts curls or waves to hair by the user turning a grip part andwrapping hair around a heating surface in the state where hair ispinched between a heating surface of a wrapping cylinder and a presserinner surface of a presser plate, it is important that the hair issecurely wrapped around the heating surface.

In this regard, hair irons in which an elastic member is mounted insidethe hair pinching region as in the past are advantageous with regard tohair pinching, but they do not control slipping of the hair when it iswrapped around the heating surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, in the present idea, the problem is to provide a hair iron whereinhair can be securely wrapped around the heating surface whilecontrolling slip when hair is wrapped around the heating surface.

In addition, another problem is to provide a hair iron which enableshair care and also improves the feel of hair to have richness (smoothfeel), a good feel when run through the fingers, and appropriateconsistency and luster, by utilizing the action of negative ions andelectromagnetic waves (of very low energy) of multi-element mineralpowder.

To solve the aforementioned problems, the hair iron of the present idea(claim 1) is a hair iron (H) including a wrapping cylinder (1), which isconnected to a tip of a grip part (2) and whose outer surface is formedon a heating surface (10), and a presser plate (4), which is pivotallysupported (42) such that it can open and close in a state where itextends in the direction from the base end side to the tip of saidwrapping cylinder, and on the inside surface of which is formed apresser inner surface (40) which contacts the heating surface of thewrapping cylinder, and said presser inner surface is forced into a statewhere it constantly contacts the heating surface of the wrappingcylinder; in which a hair pinching region (S) is formed between theheating surface of said wrapping cylinder and the presser inner surfaceof the presser plate; characterized in that an elastic member (6) ismounted on the heating surface of the wrapping cylinder on the outerpart of said hair pinching region, and at a position near the side edge(44) of said presser plate, said elastic member is mounted so as toextend in the long direction of the wrapping cylinder along the sideedge of the presser plate in the state where its upper surface is equalwith or slightly protruding from the heating surface.

In the current embodiment, the aforementioned elastic member (6)contains a multi-element mineral powder formed by crushing amulti-element mineral. The multi-element mineral (multi-element mineralpowder) is something which generates negative ions and electromagneticwaves (of very low energy). These negative ions act on the hair cuticles(glass-like fibers), and keep them in a glossy state.

Also in the preferred embodiment, a far-infrared radiating powder formedby crushing a far-infrared radiating material is mixed in theaforementioned multi-element mineral powder. Electromagnetic waves (ofvery low energy) of wavelength 4-14 μm radiated from the multi-elementmineral (multi-element mineral powder) electrically modify thesurroundings of atomic nuclei and put atoms and their substances in anexcited state (vibration). As a result, they have the effects of causingpolymerization of water clusters to be cut off or shortened, reducingthe volume of water, increasing specific gravity, and causing sufficientadhesion of water (free water) to the extracellular membranes of plantsand animals, and they promote permeation of water together with Ca²⁺into cells, and stimulate various cell functions. As a result, theyenable hair care while increasing moisture retention of the hair andproviding vibrancy (richness).

In the hair iron of the present idea, a hair pinching region is formedbetween the heating surface of a wrapping cylinder and the presser innersurface of a presser plate, and an elastic member is mounted on theheating surface of the wrapping cylinder on the outer part of this hairpinching region.

This hair iron imparts curls or waves to hair by the user turning thegrip part and wrapping hair around the heating surface in the statewhere hair is pinched between the heating surface of the wrappingcylinder and the presser inner surface of the presser plate.

Although prior art hair irons have an elastic member, they differ fromthe configuration of the present idea in that the elastic member ismounted on the hair pinching surface—that is, inside the hair pinchingregion.

At this time, because an elastic member is mounted on the heatingsurface of the wrapping cylinder on the outside of the hair pinchingregion, slipping of the hair when hair is wrapped around the heatingsurface can be controlled by this elastic member. As a result, hair canbe securely wrapped around the heating surface, and curls or waves canbe imparted as intended by the user.

By having the elastic member contain a multi-element mineral powder inthis way, it enables hair care and also improves the feel of hair tohave richness (smooth feel), a good feel when run through the fingers,and appropriate consistency and luster, by the action of negative ionsand electromagnetic waves (of very low energy).

Also, when a far-infrared radiating powder formed by crushing afar-infrared radiating material is mixed in the aforementionedmulti-element mineral powder, far-infrared rays are radiated from thisfar-infrared radiating powder, which can heat hair from the inside,thereby accelerating infiltration of chemicals into the hair.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a hair iron pertaining to anembodiment of the present idea.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram along N-N of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENTS

The hair iron H of this embodiment has a wrapping cylinder 1 by means ofa round cylinder body, the outer surface of which is formed on a heatingsurface 10. The base end of the wrapping cylinder 1 is connected to thetip of a rod-shaped grip part 2 such that it extends in the longdirection of the grip part 2.

Furthermore, an end cap 11 is fit into the tip of the wrapping cylinder1.

A heating member 12 is fit inside the aforementioned wrapping cylinder1, and this heating member 12 is connected to a power cord 33 byelectrical wires not shown in the diagram, via electrical parts such asa power switch 30, temperature switch 31 and pilot lamp 32 mounted onthe top surface of the grip part 2.

On the base end portion of the aforementioned wrapping cylinder 1, apresser plate 4 is pivotally supported (pivot part 42) such that it canopen and close.

On the inner surface of this presser plate 4, a presser inner surface 40is formed, which contacts the heating surface 10 of the aforementionedwrapping cylinder 1. The aforementioned presser inner surface 40 isforced by a spring 5 into a closed state (indicated by the solid line inFIG. 1) where it constantly contacts the heating surface 10 of theaforementioned wrapping cylinder 1.

In this case, the shape of the cross-section perpendicular to the longdirection of the presser inner surface 40 is formed into a substantiallyarc-like shape such that it matches the shape of the cross-sectionperpendicular to the axial direction of the heating surface 10 (outersurface) of the aforementioned wrapping cylinder 1.

Also, a hair pinching region S is formed between the heating surface 10of the aforementioned wrapping cylinder 1 and the presser inner surface40 of the presser plate 4.

In this case, the inside width of the presser plate 4 is slightlyshorter than the diameter of the aforementioned wrapping cylinder 1, andas a result, the presser inner surface 40 of the presser plate 4 isformed such that it makes contact in a region which is slightly narrowerthan the top half of the heating surface 10 of the aforementionedwrapping cylinder 1.

The aforementioned presser plate 4 is formed into a spatula shape by athin plate, such that its presser inner surface 40 and outer surface 41are arc-shaped. In the closed state where the presser inner surface 40contacts the heating surface 10 of the wrapping cylinder 1, hair canalso be wrapped on top of the outer surface 41 of the presser plate 4,continuing to the heating surface 10 of the aforementioned wrappingcylinder 1.

On the base end of the aforementioned presser plate 4, a lever 43 isformed, extending in the direction from the pivot part 42 to the grippart 2. By pressing this lever 43 downward against the aforementionedspring 5, it can be opened into an open state (indicated by the dottedline in FIG. 1), in which the presser plate 4 is released from theheating surface 10 of the wrapping cylinder 1.

As the material of the aforementioned wrapping cylinder 1 and presserplate 4, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, ceramic materials and soforth can be used. In this embodiment, a plate member made of steel isused.

Also, in the hair iron H of this embodiment, the shape of thecross-section perpendicular to the axial direction is a disk, but it isnot limited thereto, and can be an elliptical shape or rectangular shapewhich is chamfered by an awl at the corners. In this case, the shape ofthe presser plate 4 is made to correspond to the shape of the heatingsurface 10 of the wrapping cylinder 1.

On the heating surface 10 of the wrapping cylinder 1, an elastic member6 is mounted on the outside of the aforementioned hair pinching regionS. At a position near the side edge 44 of the aforementioned presserplate 4, this elastic member 6 is mounted so as to extend in the longdirection of the wrapping cylinder 1 along the side edge 44 of thepresser plate 4 in the state where its upper surface is equal with orslightly protruding from the heating surface 10 (the amount ofprotrusion is 1.0 mm or less, preferably about 0.1-0.2 mm).

In this embodiment, elastic members 6 and 6 are provided along the twoside edges 44 and 44 of the presser plate 4. In this case, a narrowgroove 60 is formed along nearly the entire length in the long directionof the wrapping cylinder 1, at or near a part which intersectshorizontal diameter line C in the cross-section perpendicular to theaxial direction of the wrapping cylinder 1, as shown in FIG. 2. Anelastic member 6 made of a silicone tube is fit inside this groove 60such that it extends along the entire length of the wrapping cylinder 1.

As the aforementioned elastic member 6, a heat-resistant elasticmaterial, such as silicone, rubber or polyurethane, which has beenformed into a hollow tube shape, or in which a narrow rod has beeninserted inside a hollow tube, or which has been formed into a solid rodshape without a hollow center, can be used.

Also, in this embodiment, two elastic members 6 and 6 are mounted alongthe two side edges of the presser plate, but it is also possible tomount only one elastic member 6 along either one of the side edges ofthe presser plate.

Furthermore, in FIG. 1, 7 is an iron stand, which is pushed out(indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1) when the hair iron is placed ona table or the like, and is folded in (indicated by the dotted line inFIG. 1) when the hair iron H is in use.

Also, the aforementioned elastic member 6 contains a multi-elementmineral powder formed by crushing a multi-element mineral, and afar-infrared radiating powder formed by crushing a far-infraredradiating material.

A multi-element mineral is a mineral which has a primary ingredient ofsilicon like tourmaline with perlite or pitch stone, and contains a goodbalance of multiple elements. Such multi-element minerals are known toemit negative ions.

In order to mix multi-element mineral powder in with the startingmaterials of the elastic member 6, for example, a multi-element mineralis formed into a powder by crushing it to approximately 1-3 microns in aball mill, jet mill or the like, and this is mixed into the startingmaterials of the elastic member (silicone rubber, for example) in aratio of 0.5-10%.

In this case, it is preferred that at least two types of multi-elementmineral powder are appropriately compounded and used, but using one typeis also acceptable.

Also, the multi-element mineral powder can be mixed with water andheated or pressurized, after which the obtained supernatant liquid canbe used, or a powder formed by vacuum freeze drying or spray drying canbe used.

The composition of perlite, which is an example of a multi-elementmineral, is shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Anhydrous silicon (SiO₂) 71.94% Aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) 14.94%Iron oxide (Fe₂O₃)  2.54% Magnesium oxide (MgO)  0.44% Calcium oxide(CaO)  2.47% Alkali oxide (K₂O + Na₂O)  6.87% Manganese oxide (MnO) 0.03% Anhydrous phosphorus (P₂O₆)  0.14% Ignition loss  3.43% Loss ondrying (at 110 degrees)  0.07% Other titanium Trace

In Table 1, ignition loss is based on ignition loss (500° C.,isothermal) of kaolin cosmetics standards.

As the far-infrared radiating material, there are alumina (Al₂O₃),titania (TiO₂), ferrite (Fe₂O₃), chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃), silica (SiO₂),yttria (Y₂O₃), magnesia (MgO) and the like. These can be usedindividually or in combination after being made into powder by crushing.

Test results when hair was treated using the hair iron of the presentidea are shown below.

<Test Facility> Test Technology Center, Koei Chemicals Co., Ltd. <TestContents>

a) Measurement of hair moisture ratio for verifying good feel when runthrough fingers and appropriate consistency or richness of bundles ofhair.

<Objects of Testing>

A. Untreated normal hairB. Hair treated by a hair iron having an elastic member in which nomulti-element mineral powder or far-infrared radiating powder was mixed,on a plate in which 2.0-2.5% multi-element mineral powder andfar-infrared radiating powder were mixed in the plating layer of theheating plateC. Hair treated by a hair iron having an elastic member in which2.0-2.5% multi-element mineral powder and far-infrared radiating powderwere mixed, on a plate in which 2.0-2.5% multi-element mineral powderand far-infrared radiating powder were mixed in the plating layer of theheating plate

It is desirable that the multi-element mineral powder and far-infraredradiating powder of the plating layer and elastic member are mixed inthe aforementioned ratios, but it does not matter if it is more or less.

<Used Hair>

27-year-old Japanese woman

<Treatment of Hair>

a) After being rinsed for one hour in 40° C. hot water, it was allowedto dry naturally (the hot water was replaced every 15 minutes).b) After it was dry, a hair iron was used under the following conditionsof use.

<Conditions of Use of Hair Iron> 1) Temperature: 180° C.

2) Sliding speed: Slid from the root to the tip of the hair, taking 4seconds for hair 20 cm long3) Pressure applied to hair during use of iron: 70.0±2 HPA

<Calculation of Moisture Ratio>

a) Left for 24 hours in an environment at 20° C.±1° C., 30±2% RH.b) Moved to an environment at 20° C.±1° C., 65±2% RH, and left for 24hours.c) After that, it was dried at 105° C., after which the weight wasmeasured and the moisture ratio was calculated.

The results of measuring hair moisture ratio measured as described aboveare shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Moisture Ratio (%) Moisture Ratio A. Untreated normal hair 15.8B. Heating plate plating layer was ionized, elastic member was notionized 15.9 C. Heating plate plating layer and elastic member were bothionized 16.1

As is understood from the test results shown in Table 2, the moistureratio of test object C was 0.2-0.3% higher than those of test objects Aand B.

The fact that the hair moisture ratio was 0.2-0.3% higher means that thehair exhibited a state as if it was wet, and the amount of moistureretention was markedly improved.

Therefore, when the hair iron is used, it imparts curls or waves to hairby the user turning the grip part and wrapping hair around the heatingsurface in the state where hair is pinched between the heating surfaceof the wrapping cylinder and the presser inner surface of the presserplate.

At this time, slipping of the hair when hair is wrapped around theheating surface can be controlled by the elastic member. As a result,hair can be securely wrapped around the heating surface, and curls orwaves can be imparted as intended by the user.

Also, by the effect of negative ions and electromagnetic waves (of verylow energy) generated by a multi-element mineral and by the effect offar-infrared rays radiated from a far-infrared radiating powdercontained in the elastic member, it enables hair care and also improvesthe feel of hair to have richness (smooth feel), a good feel when runthrough the fingers, and appropriate consistency and luster.

SUMMARY OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1: Wrapping cylinder-   10: Heating surface-   11: End cap-   12: Heating member-   2: Grip part-   30: Power switch-   31: Temperature switch-   32: Pilot lamp-   33: Power cord-   4: Presser plate-   40: Presser inner surface-   41: Outer surface-   42: Pivot part-   43: Lever-   44: Side edge-   5: Spring-   6: Elastic member-   60: Groove-   H: Hair iron-   S: Hair pinching region

1. A hair iron (H) comprising a wrapping cylinder (1), which isconnected to a tip of a grip part (2) and whose outer surface is formedon a heating surface (10), and a presser plate (4), which is pivotallysupported (42) such that it can open and close in a state where itextends in the direction from the base end side to the tip of saidwrapping cylinder, and on the inside surface of which is formed apresser inner surface (40) which contacts the heating surface of thewrapping cylinder, and said presser inner surface is forced into a statewhere it constantly contacts the heating surface of the wrappingcylinder; in which a hair pinching region (S) is formed between theheating surface of said wrapping cylinder and the presser inner surfaceof the presser plate; characterized in that an elastic member (6) ismounted on the heating surface of the wrapping cylinder on the outerpart of said hair pinching region, and at a position near the side edge(44) of said presser plate, said elastic member is mounted so as toextend in the long direction of the wrapping cylinder along the sideedge of the presser plate in the state where its upper surface is equalwith or slightly protruding from the heating surface.
 2. The hair ironaccording to claim 1, wherein said elastic member (6) contains amulti-element mineral powder formed by crushing a multi-element mineral.3. The hair iron according to claim 2, wherein a far-infrared radiatingpowder formed by crushing a far-infrared radiating material is mixed insaid multi-element mineral powder.